Let’s face it.

Many of us have probably been frustrated by the Phillies’ yo-yo of a season.

Before the sweep of the Twins and their Monday night victory over the Marlins, most Phillies fans were looking for a scapegoat because it appeared the club would be teetering on the threshold between making the playoffs and missing them.

Would it be manager Don Mattingly’s fault? Do we turn to baseball guru Dave Dombrowski? Is it on both Mattingly and Dombrowski? Or does this fall on the players?

Whoever is to blame, it certainly has been a season filled with happiness, sadness, anxiety and frustration. Ironically, though, the Phils look destined for a wild-card spot unless there is a major collapse.

They likely would need to go 24-12 or better over their final 36 games to reach at least 92 wins and have a crack at the division. If Atlanta, which entered the stretch six games ahead of the Phillies, goes 18-18 the rest of the way, both teams would finish 92-70.

That makes the seven remaining head-to-head meetings between the Phillies and Braves especially important, with the season series potentially determining the NL East tiebreaker.

Over their final 36 games, which began Tuesday night, the Phillies face one of baseball’s toughest remaining schedules. Only five teams entered the week with a more difficult slate, and just 12 of the Phillies’ remaining games are against teams with losing records.

After they end the homestand with the Cardinals — also in the wild-card hunt — the Phillies will make a Western swing against the Mariners, Angels and Diamondbacks.

It will be a key series against the Diamondbacks, who are vying with the Phils for a wild-card spot. Arizona took two of three games in Philly during April, and head-to-head record is a tiebreaker. The Phillies do have the tiebreaker over the Padres after sweeping all six games.

They’ll return home for the first of two showdowns with the Braves and also face Houston, which will be in the hunt for the AL West.

From there, they trek down to Atlanta for their final series with the Braves before catching a break with trips to New York and Washington.

The regular season ends with the Brewers and Rays at home in what looks like a brutal finish. However, both teams may have their divisions locked up by then, and the Phils may catch a break.

There’s little room for error, and it will be intriguing to watch.

Whose Fault?: In a recent Times News Facebook poll, the question was posed: Who deserves the most blame for the Phillies’ slides this season? Is it Mattingly, Dombrowski, Mattingly and Dombrowski, or the players?

An overwhelming majority blamed the players, who garnered 62%. Dombrowski received 36%, Mattingly and Dombrowski together took 2%, and Mattingly alone was blameless.

Readers Write

Dumbowski Moves

Dear Jeff,

This should fall on Dumbowski (Dombrowski).

Yes, our players have to be blamed, but our wonderful GM knew before the deadline they needed a setup man and didn’t get one, needed a fifth starter and didn’t get one, and needed a right-handed power hitter and, well, didn’t get one.

I love the Arraez trade, but the Kevin Long disease has already found its way to him. Not to mention that they moved three guys that didn’t need to be moved, so the biggest problem/liability could stay at his position. Makes zero sense!

Dumbrowski gets the majority of the blame, with the players not far behind.

Ryan McGrath

Play The Game

Dear Jeff,

It is the players. They are inconsistent, have a poor plate approach, have no fire, have no life and seemingly could care less.

Melissa Hager

Stay Positive

Dear Jeff,

I predict the Phillies will make the playoffs, but they will not get to the World Series.

Lynn Solt

Meteoric Mets: Since the All-Star break, the Mets have been one of the biggest surprises. Before Tuesday, they were 17-12 in the second half and had won 10 of their last 13.

Surprisingly, they’ve done it without Juan Soto, who hasn’t played since July 24 because of a calf injury.

The Mets have showcased their young talent in the field and on the mound, and appear to have a foundation for the future. One of the brightest spots has been Nolan McLean, who has emerged as a fixture in the rotation with a 3.34 ERA and 162 strikeouts in 25 starts.

Interim manager Andy Green has helped guide the Mets through their recent surge, but president of baseball operations David Stearns indicated the club expects to conduct a managerial search after the season, with Green returning to his player-development role.

Message to Michael: On Monday, the Colorado Rockies designated ex-Phillies starting pitcher Michael Lorenzen for assignment.

This season, the 34-year-old Lorenzen was 3-11 with a 7.08 ERA in 26 appearances, including 25 starts. Last season, he was 7-11 with a 4.64 ERA in 26 starts with Kansas City.

The Phillies acquired him from Detroit on Aug. 1, 2023, for Hao-Yu Lee, and he went 4-2 with a 5.51 ERA in seven starts, striking out 28 in 47 1/3 innings. He threw a no-hitter and also made two relief appearances totaling 2 2/3 scoreless innings in the postseason.

Even though the Phillies’ starting staff has appeared to overcome its issues, Lorenzen could be considered an insurance-policy pickup. However, Lorenzen has noticeably slipped over the past two seasons.

Dodge Ball: Remember when the Dodgers got Tarik Skubal, and most of the baseball world believed it was time to concede the season — including myself — and hand a third world championship to the Tinseltown team?

Well, put that celebration on hold for now. That $430 million payroll has looked more like a $43 million one.

Since the trade deadline, the Dodgers had dropped eight of their last 13 games before they began play in Colorado Monday night. They had a 5-10 record in August, and had lost 11 of their last 16 games.

Skubal is 0-2 in his first three starts with the Dodgers. In his debut, the left-hander allowed two runs on four hits over six innings, striking out six and walking two in a loss to the Cubs.

He received a no-decision in a Dodgers win over Kansas City before turning in his strongest outing against Milwaukee, allowing one earned run over six innings with seven strikeouts in a loss. Over his first three starts, Skubal has pitched 17 innings, allowed 15 hits, struck out 19 and walked six for a 3.18 ERA. He is 7-7 overall with a 2.85 ERA.

Speaking of the Brewers, they recently swept the Dodgers in L.A. and took over the top spot in the National League. In that series, the Dodgers were a combined 23-for-127 (.181) with 35 strikeouts and eight walks.

After the Brewers series, the Dodgers — who had held the top spot for much of the season — fell behind Milwaukee in the race for the National League’s top seed.

Since July — they were 13-11 during the month — the Dodgers rank 23rd in runs scored per game (4.02), 22nd in walk rate (8.0%) and 20th in on-base percentage (.308).

Kyle Tucker — their $240 million man — went 0-for-19 in the Brewers series, and was hitting .232 with 11 homers and 54 RBIs. Mookie Betts was hitting .236, but he had picked up the pace of late.

Reliever Edwin Díaz is back, but had an 11.00 ERA in his last five outings. Díaz also has seven blown saves. All-Star left-hander Justin Wrobleski also has landed on the injured list with left forearm inflammation after struggling over his final four starts.

Still, the Dodgers have a loaded lineup along with the anticipated returns of Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow on the mound.

Georgie Boy: The Yankees’ experiment with top prospect George Lombard Jr. at shortstop has continued to produce positive results.

Heading into Tuesday’s game, Lombard was hitting .276 with a pair of homers and an .827 OPS. In 11 games, Lombard had made just one error.

Meanwhile, exiled shortstop Anthony Volpe has been getting work at both shortstop and second base at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, fueling speculation that second base could be an option for him next season.

Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s future with the Yankees also remains uncertain, with reports indicating the team may not re-sign him after the season.

The Big Dipper: One of the game’s biggest flops this season has been Seattle’s Cal Raleigh, who was the AL MVP runner-up last season to Aaron Judge.

Heading into Monday’s play, Raleigh was hitting .158 with 13 homers and 44 RBIs, with 52 hits and 123 strikeouts in 91 games.

Last season, Raleigh led the majors with 60 homers and the league with 125 RBIs while hitting .247 with 147 hits and 123 strikeouts in 158 games.

At 59-66, the Mariners have been one of the game’s biggest disappointments.

Your thoughts are always welcome and will be published; email them to tnsports@tnonline.com.

Check out the Times News Lehigh Valley Press YouTube channel and consider a subscription.